[Lnc-business] Suspension motion; Adam Mayer

[William Redpath]

I do not recall seeing the Mayers since the Denver Convention in 2008.  
All the hubbub in Oregon led them to dial back their involvement in the 
LP.  But, they were really good people.  I really liked them, and I am 
very sorry to read of Adam's passing.  Bill Redpath

On 2018-04-12 10:02, James Lark wrote:
> Dear colleagues:
>        I hope all is well with you.  I am writing to provide some
>    information about a couple of matters.
>    1)  In a separate message I shall send my vote on the motion to 
> suspend
>    Arvin Vohra.  While I believe several of Mr. Vohra's actions are
>    reflective of poor judgment, I am not convinced that the recent MeWe
>    post in question or his previous statements constitute a violation 
> of
>    the certification (also referred to as the "membership pledge").  In
>    particular, I believe that the post in question was an attempt at 
> humor
>    (albeit an attempt that failed badly), and I accept his statements 
> that
>    he does not advocate violence against the state.  (I have some
>    additional concerns about the wording of the motion, which I shall
>    discuss if the need arises.)
>        On Mar. 31, I sent a message to Mr. Vohra about the MeWe post.  
> I
>    stated my belief that the intentional posting of the message in such 
> a
>    place suggested questionable judgment, and perhaps an indifference 
> to
>    the negative effect such posts may have on the LP, especially with
>    respect to some of our affiliate organizations.  I also requested 
> that
>    he resign from the LNC, preferably with immediate effect.
>        For whatever it is worth, this is one of the most difficult 
> votes I
>    have cast during my service as an LNC member.  I am concerned that 
> some
>    of Mr. Vohra's statements have caused damage to the LP, and may 
> cause
>    damage in the future.  Thus, I understand very well why the motion 
> is
>    supported by many people whose character and judgment I greatly
>    respect.  I am also concerned that passage of the motion may cause 
> as
>    many problems over the long term as it may alleviate.  In most cases
>    when I have such uncertainty concerning a motion, I abstain.  
> However,
>    in this case, since an abstention functions as a "nay" vote, I 
> believe
>    it is appropriate to vote "nay."
>    2)  A few days ago I received word that Adam Mayer, former chair of 
> the
>    Libertarian Party of Oregon, had passed away.  Mr. Mayer and his 
> wife
>    Christiana were stalwarts of the Libertarian Party of Oregon for 
> many
>    years.  On a personal note, they were extremely kind and hospitable 
> to
>    me when I had the honor of addressing the LP Oregon conventions in 
> 2005
>    and 2007.  I hope you will join me in offering condolences to the 
> Mayer
>    family on their loss, and in offering thanks for their work for
>    liberty.
>        As always, thanks for your work for liberty.  I look forward to
>    seeing you soon.
>        Take care,
>        Jim
>        James W. Lark, III
>        Dept. of Systems and Information Engineering
>        Applied Mathematics Program, Dept. of Engineering and Society
>        Affiliated Faculty, Dept. of Statistics
>        University of Virginia
>        Advisor, The Liberty Coalition
>        University of Virginia
>        Region 5 Representative, Libertarian National Committee
>    -----
>    Motion (contained in e-mail ballot 2018-05) concerning Arvin Vohra:
>    WHEREAS, the Libertarian Party holds the non-initiation of force as 
> its
>    cardinal principle and requires each of its members certify that 
> they
>    neither advocate or believe in violent means to achieve political or
>    social goals.
>    RESOLVED, that the Libertarian National Committee suspends Arvin 
> Vohra
>    from his position of Vice-Chair for sustained and repeated 
> unacceptable
>    conduct that brings the principles of the Libertarian Party into
>    disrepute, including making and defending a statement advocating 
> lethal
>    violence against state employees who are not directly threatening
>    imminent physical harm. Such action is in violation of our 
> membership
>    pledge. These actions further endanger the survival of our movement 
> and
>    the security of all of our members without their consent.
>    -----
>    -----
>    From [1]https://www.lp.org/membership/:
>      * Certify Your Membership*
>           + [ ] YES, sign me up as a member of the Libertarian Party. 
> To
>             validate my membership, I certify that I oppose the 
> initiation
>             of force to achieve political or social goals.
> 
> References
> 
>    1. https://www.lp.org/membership/